The Merchant of Venice Study Guide
Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare is often classified as a romantic comedy, but it can’t clearly be defined as comedy due to its piercing dramatic scenes, especially with the character of the Jewish moneylender Shylock and Portia’s fiery speech about mercy.
The other deep topics that are mentioned in the play are the value of friendship (the male friendship bordering with bromance is another common theme of several plays of Shakespeare, developed even more in the “Two Gentlemen of Verona”). Antonio is ready to help his friend Bassanio to marry rich and beautiful Portia even putting his life at risk, entering the suicidal deal with Shylock, who he despises. The racism and antisemitism that was a great deal in Venice is also mentioned in the play. Despite Shylock is portrayed as the comical Jew, who values his income more than his own daughter and is punished in the end, he is indeed a deep character with his own agenda. His wish to have a pound of Antonio’s flesh as his interest for lending his friend a huge sum of money is a result of Antonio’s notorious attitude to the Jews. Later, Portia in disguise of Balthasar, the young lawyer, reminds Shylock that he may have the pound of flesh of his debtor, but flesh only - a Jew isn’t allowed to shed a drop of blood of a Venetian non-Jew, otherwise he will be executed and all his property confiscated.
The third theme that is prominent and usual for the Shakespearean comedies is cross-dressing and the second identity of the women involved. Portia, a rich heiress surrounded by suitors isn’t only pretty - she and her maid and friend Nerissa can successfully disguise as lawyers and defend Antonio in the court both passionately and intelligently. Portia, as usually in the comedies of Shakespeare is shown as a woman ready to solve male problems and get her beloved and his close ones out of troubles. Despite it is portrayed as a comedic trait that defies the “natural” laws of society of Shakespearean times, the presence of the strong heroines is another feature of this play.
Author: Angel Bell
New Essays
Glossary—The Merchant of Venice Act I, Scene II 1. “By my troth”—a mild oath like “Upon my word” 2. aught—anything 3. surfeit—overindulge 4. superfluity—excess 5. Hare—to run fast 6. “overname them”—say their names over 7. colt—a young, or inexperienced person 8. Death’s-head—skull 9...
Written sometime between 1596 to 1598, The Merchant Of Venice is classified as both and early Shakespearean comedy and as one of the Shakespeare’s problem plays. Scene 1 introduces one of the major plot points as well as several key characters. When Antonio, Solanio and Salarino enter at the...
A play I have studied is The Merchant of Venice. Two characters in the play who have a tense relationship are Shylock and Antonio. This tension stems firstly from religious differences. In Venice at this time the Christians looked down on the Jewish people because of their religion. Shylock cannot...
Nicholas Bouwer Mr. Koughan Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice Anti-Semitism, which has often been called the longest hatred (a comment on the unbelievably long time jews have been prosecuted as the bane of the earth), has recurred in society for centuries. Since before medieval times, Jews...